I truly believe there is power in our prayers and they will make a difference. However being disciplined in the things we actually pray can be a challenge. It's easy to pray "blessings" over our children or such things like "keep them from harm", "protect them" or cute little prayers over our food and so on. God hears those genuine prayers but I've been so challenged to actually pray the Word of God over my children. As a mother it is my responsibility to train them in the way they should go and what better way to train and model then to pour the Word of God into them (will talk more about that in another post) and pray the Word of God over them.
If you will be disciplined in praying the Word of God over them, it will not return void. I often think of the power that the prayers of my in-laws had over my husband. From the moment they knew they were having a son, they began praying for his future wife. Not knowing a name or face, they faithfully prayed. On our wedding day my father-in-law prayed over us and made mention of that. It dawned on me that not coming from a Christian home or having had a solid upbringing that no one else had been praying for me all my life. I believe it was the power of their prayers that led me even on the path I did in becoming a Christ-follower and eventually meeting my husband. Never underestimate the power of your prayers!
If you're not sure where to start, I found this great article on 31 Ways to pray for your children:
01 Salvation:
“Lord, let salvation spring
up within my children,
that they may obtain the
salvation that is in Christ
Jesus, with eternal glory”
(2 Timothy 2:10).
02 Growth in grace: “I pray that they
may ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ’” (2 Peter 3:18).
03 LOVE : “Grant, Lord, that my children may learn
to ‘live a life of love,’ through the Spirit who dwells in them”
(Ephesians 5:2; Galatians 5:22).
04 Honesty and integrity:
“May integrity and honesty
be their virtue and their
protection” (Psalm 25:21).
05
Self-control:
“Father, help my children
not to be like many others
around them, but let them
be alert and self-controlled
in all they do”
(1 Thessalonians 5:6).
06
Love for
God’s Word:
“May my children grow
to find your Word more
precious than gold, than
much pure gold, and
sweeter than honey from the
honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10).
07
Justice:
“God, help my children to
love justice as You do and
to ‘act justly’ in all they
do” (Psalm 11:7; Micah
6:8).
08
Mercy:
“May my children
always ‘be merciful,
as [their] Father is
merciful’”
(Luke 6:36).
09 Respect (for self, others, authority): “Father, grant
that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as your
Word commands” (1 Peter 2:17a).
10 Strong, biblical self-esteem:
“Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted
in the realization that they are ‘God’s workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus’” (Ephesians 2:10).
11
Faithfulness:
“Let love and faithfulness
never leave my children,
but bind these twin virtues
around their necks and write
them on the tablet of their
hearts” (Proverbs 3:3).
12 Courage: “May my children always be strong
and courageous in their character and in their actions”
(Deuteronomy 31:6).
13 Purity:
“Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let their purity of heart
be shown in their actions” (Psalm 51:10).
14 Kindness: “Lord, may my children
‘always try to be kind to each other and to everyone
else’” (Ephesians 4:32).
15 Generosity: “Grant that my children
may be generous and willing to share, laying up treasure
for themselves as a firm foundation for eternity”
(1 Timothy 6:18-19).
16 Peace:
“Father, let my children make every effort
to do what leads to peace’” (Romans
14:19).
17 Joy:
“May my children be filled with the joy
given by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians
1:6).
18 Perseverance:
“Lord, teach my children perseverance
in all they do, and help them
especially to run their race with
perseverance” (Hebrews 12:1).
19 Humility: “God, please cultivate in my children
the ability to show true humility toward all” (Titus 3:2).
20 Compassion: “Lord, please clothe my
children with the virtue of compassion” (Colossians 3:12).
21 Responsibility: “Grant that my children may learn responsibility, ‘for each one
should carry his own load’” (Galatians 6:5).
22
Contentment:
“Father, teach my children the
secret of being content in any
and every situation, through
Him who gives them strength”
(Philippians 4:12-13).
23 Faith:
“I pray that faith will find root
and grow in my children’s
hearts, that by faith they may
gain what has been promised
to them” (Luke 17:5-6:
Hebrews 11:1-40).
24 A servant’s heart: “God, please
help my children develop a
servant’s heart, that they may
serve wholeheartedly, ‘as to
the Lord, and not to men’”
(Ephesians 6:7).
25 Hope: “May the God
of hope grant that my children
may overflow with hope and hopefulness
through the power of the
Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
26 Willingness and ability to work hard: “Teach my children, Lord, to value
work and to work hard at everything they do, as they are working
for the Lord, not for men’” (Colossians 3:23).
27 Passion for God: “Lord, please instill in my children a soul that follows hard after
You; a heart that clings passionately to You” (Psalm 63:8).
28 Self-discipline: “Father, I pray that my
children may develop self-discipline, that they may live a disciplined
life, doing what is right and just and fair’” (Proverbs 1:3; 1
Corinthians 9:27).
29 Prayerfulness: “Grant, Lord, that my children’s
lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to
‘pray in the Spirit’” (Ephesians 6:18).
30 Gratitude:
“Help my children to live
lives that overflow with
thankfulness, giving thanks
to God the Father for everything,
in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ” (Colossians
2:7; Ephesians 5:20).
31 Heart for missions:
“Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions,
a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your
marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:3).
This prayer calendar is also available for download at:
www.D6curriculum.com/fusion
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